The Tunnel (2001 film)
| Der Tunnel | |
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Der Tunnel DVD cover
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| Directed by | Roland Suso Richter |
| Produced by | Nico Hofmann Ariane Krampe |
| Written by | Johannes W. Betz |
| Starring |
Heino Ferch Nicolette Krebitz Alexandra Maria Lara Sebastian Koch |
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Release date
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Running time
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157 min. |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
Der Tunnel is a made-for-television German film released in 2001 and loosely based on true events in Berlin following the closing of the East German border in August 1961 and the subsequent construction of the Berlin Wall.Roland Suso Richter directed the film. The theatrical release is 20 minutes shorter than the original television version. The subtitled English version was not available until 2005.
The central character of the film is Harry Melchior, played by Heino Ferch and based on the real tunneler, Hasso Herschel. Despite being imprisoned for several years for his role in the June 1953 uprising in East Germany, Melchior competes for and wins the national swimming championship in 1961. With the aid of a false passport and disguise, Harry succeeds in fleeing to West Berlin. His best friend, Matthis (played by Sebastian Koch) manages to escape through the underground sewer, but Matthis's pregnant wife Carola (played by Claudia Michelsen) was not so lucky and remained in East Berlin.
Harry's beloved sister, Lotte (played by Alexandra Maria Lara) and her husband and daughter are ambivalent about leaving the confines of the GDR.
Committed to getting their loved ones out of the GDR but knowing that ground routes are heavily guarded, Harry and Matthis have the idea of going underground. Matthis is an engineer by training. They link up with a small circle of others, initially Vittorio 'Vic' Constanza (played by Mehmet Kurtulus) and Fred von Klausnitz (played by Felix Eitner). They find an unused factory building close to the Wall that has ample underground space. They are eventually joined by Fritzi Scholz (played by Nicolette Krebitz), whose fiancé Heiner (Florian Panzner) is also trapped in the east.
The work is slow, hard and sometimes dangerous, and the group reluctantly agrees to take in several more helpers. Over a span of months, the tunnel takes shape following Matthis' design with the necessary shoring, lights and even a railbed. Discovering a film crew from NBC in the city one day, the leaders convince the network to fund their efforts in exchange for exclusive footage of the digging and eventual escape.
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